Gifted Education Handbook Lafayette Co



Gifted Education Handbook Lafayette Co. C-1 Schools

Definitions of Giftedness

[pic] Federal

[pic] State of Missouri

[pic] Lafayette Co. C-1

[pic] Characteristics of the gifted

[pic] Myths and facts about gifted children

[pic] Characteristics of the High Achiever and the Gifted Learner

Needs of gifted children

[pic] Cognitive

[pic] Affective

[pic] Educational

Lafayette Co. C-1 beliefs about gifted children

[pic] Philosophy

[pic] Goals and Objectives

Student Selection

[pic] Screening

[pic] Testing

[pic] Entrance

[pic] Previously identified, new to the district

[pic] Suggested timeline

Curriculum

[pic] Rationale

[pic] Differentiation

[pic] Unique appropriateness for gifted children

Program evaluation

[pic] Student survey

[pic] Parent survey

[pic] Staff survey

Continuing in RISE program

[pic] Grade point average

[pic] Teacher recommendation

[pic] Probation

[pic] Removal

[pic] Re-entry

Parent Information

[pic] Resources

[pic] Emotional Needs

[pic] Glossary of common gifted education terms

Definitions of Giftedness

Federal Definition

The United States Department of Education under the direction of Public Law 91-30, Section 806, established the following definition for purposes of federal education programs.

Gifted and talented children are those identified by professionally qualified persons who, by virtue of outstanding abilities, are capable of high performance. These are children who require differential educational programs and/or services beyond those provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and the society.

Children capable of high performance include those with demonstrated achievement and/or potential ability in any of the following areas, singly or in combination:

• General intellectual ability

• Specific academic aptitude

• Creative or productive thinking

• Leadership ability

• Visual and performing arts

• Psychomotor ability

Missouri Definition

The state of Missouri defines gifted children (RSMo 162.675, 1973) as “those children who exhibit precocious development of mental capacity and learning potential as determined by competent professional evaluation to the extent that continued educational growth and stimulation could best be served by an academic environment beyond that offered through a standard grade level curriculum.”

Lafayette County C-1 Definition

We define giftedness as a combination of factors that produce special behavior. These factors include superior ability and achievement, task commitment and creativity. Superior ability and achievement are indicated by test data. Task commitment involves the student’s willingness and ability to carry through on responsibilities and projects. In other words, to stay with a job until it is complete. Creativity involves planning, and often producing, something unique and unusual.

[pic]Characteristics of Gifted Children

Gifted students can often be recognized by certain characteristics and behaviors. Gifted students can be found in all ethnic and racial groups. RISE focuses on three ability areas: 1) general intellectual ability, 2) task commitment, and 3) creative/productive thinking ability. A child who is unusually able in one or more of these three areas often…

1. Has an unusually good vocabulary.

2. Has quick mastery and recall of information.

3. Has lots of information on a variety of topics.

4. Is alert and observant (usually sees more or gets more out of a story, film, etc., than others).

5. Reads a great deal on his/her own.

6. Reasons things out, recognizes relationships, comprehends meanings and makes logical associations.

7. Works persistently on things that interest him/her.

8. Is easily bored with routine tasks.

9. Prefers to work independently; requires little direction from teachers.

10. Strives for perfection; is self-critical.

11. Often is self-assertive, may be stubborn in his/her beliefs.

12. Is curious about many things, asks questions about anything and everything.

13. Reveals originality in written, oral, artistic expression.

14. Offers unusual, unique or clever answers.

15. Is uninhibited in giving opinions.

16. Is often concerned with different ways of doing "things" (will modify, improve or adapt).

17. Displays a keen sense of humor.

18. Is nonconforming; accepts disorder, does not fear being different.

-Joseph S. Renzulli, Professor University of Connecticut

The behaviors cited are general characteristics. Individual gifted children may not possess all the characteristics. In a supportive home/school environment, certain characteristics (such as those associated with creativity and risk taking) may be much more pronounced.

Superior ability may be found in specific academic areas such as math, social studies, science, or the language arts. Students with a specific academic aptitude may reveal this ability through high performance on standardized tests, high achievement in school subjects, and interest in learning more about topics in that area. These students appear to see relationships and grasp principles more quickly than others. They are able to generalize and synthesize in the content area.

Those individuals who are exceptionally creative may or may not be the same students who are academically gifted. The creative student is one who has an adventurous mind, who comes up with many ideas, alternatives and questions. This student is an original thinker, one whose ideas are unique in comparison with the peer group. The creative thinker generally exhibits a sense of humor and is a risk taker. Creative thinkers are sometimes seen as disruptive or as discipline problems because of their uninhibited behavior, their impulsive reactions, and their non-conformist tendencies.

[pic]Myths and Facts About Gifted and Talented Children

Myth: Gifted education and the "gifted' label are "elitist' because gifted programs offer 'special' treatment for smart kids that already have it all.

Fact: Gifted education is, in fact, about meeting the academic and affective needs of students whose abilities and knowledge exceed what is being taught in the regular classroom.

Myth: Gifted kids have 'pushy" parents.

Fact: Parents of gifted children are often less inclined to make an issue of their children for fear of drawing attention and harming their child's school experience.  Often, parents of gifted children may be reliving their own negative experience in school and simply want their child to be intellectually challenged each day in school.

Myth: Gifted kids tend to be physically weak and unhealthy.

Fact: Gifted children actually tend to be stronger, have fewer illnesses, and many are outstanding athletes.

Myth: Gifted kids are emotionally unstable and social misfits.

 Fact: The opposite is generally true.  Many children fail to be identified by teachers because their outward behavior seems so normal.  They are often very outgoing and can be outstanding leaders.

Myth: Gifted kids are enthusiastic about school and academic work.

Fact: Gifted children will, in fact, opt for "alternative” ways to demonstrate their intelligence and creativity, if not encouraged to do so in a school environment.  Gifted students will often choose the easiest path to an "A” since the "A” comes so easy to them.

Myth: Gifted kids are smart enough to learn by themselves.

Fact: Gifted children require the same professional educational and emotional support as other children, but that support must be appropriate to their needs.

Myth: Gifted kids are usually from upper middle class professional families.

 Fact: Gifted children are found in all socioeconomic groups in proportionate numbers.

Myth: Gifted kids with the same level of intelligence have the same abilities and interests.

Fact: Gifted children, like all children, are unique individuals and differ in their abilities, talents, and personalities.

Myth: All children are gifted.

Fact: All individuals have gifts that make them unique, but giftedness refers to extraordinary, exceptional, beyond-the-norm abilities and talents.

 

Information used with permission of

[pic]Characteristics of the High Achiever and The Gifted Learner.

Grades are only one measure of a student’s learning. Taken alone they do not determine giftedness.  Educators use a variety of measures to determine if students need the services provided in gifted programs. The following list was created by Jane Szaby and published by Good Apple Press to help parents recognize some of the subtle differences between good students and gifted learners. These descriptions may overlap and are not mutually exclusive.  The high achiever may be more readily identifiable in the classroom setting and considered to be “gifted.”  The gifted learner may well be underachieving and not readily recognized.  

 

|High Achiever |Gifted Learner |

|Knows the answers |Asks the questions |

|Is interested |Is highly curious |

|Has good ideas |Has wild, silly ideas |

|Works hard |Plays around, yet tests well |

|Answers the questions |Discusses in detail, elaborates |

|Listens with interest and opinions |Shows strong feelings |

|Learns with ease |Already knows |

|6-8 repetitions for mastery |1-2 repetitions for mastery |

|Understands ideas |Constructs abstractions |

|Enjoys peers |Prefers adults |

|Grasps the meaning |Draws inferences |

|Completed assignments |Initiates projects |

|Is receptive |Is intense |

|Copies accurately |Creates a new design |

|Enjoys school |Enjoys learning |

|Absorbs information |Manipulates information |

|Technician |Inventor |

|Good "memorizer" |Good guesser |

|Is alert |Is keenly observant |

|Is pleased with own learning |Is highly self-critical |

[pic]Needs of Gifted Children

Why is there a need for gifted education?

Gifted students experience a sense of isolation. One of the biggest advantages of gifted programming is peer identification. Two significant needs children experience between the age of six and twelve are the need for inclusion and independence. Gifted children, specifically, will often compromise their talents to “fit in” with the group while struggling with the conflict of thinking differently. One consequence of the isolation children feel is disruptive behavior: Gifted students may act out conflict and frustration in the form of manipulation or passive aggressive behavior.

Placing gifted children with others who have similar abilities and talents may help students experience a sense of well-being. It can also be an extremely humbling experience. For many it is a good experience to be nose-to-nose with others as smart as or smarter than they are. 

The purpose of identifying gifted students is to provide differentiated experiences commensurate with their needs. Most of these students are capable of mastering the curriculum more quickly than other students. They benefit from greater breadth in their educational experiences and delight in the opportunity to explore a wide variety of enrichment topics outside the scope of the regular curriculum. In addition, they are able to go much deeper into their areas of special ability and interest than other students. Their needs are such that, when motivated and guided, they can pursue learning on their own.

The gifted student needs to be permitted to demonstrate that basic learning has been mastered and go beyond this basic learning. These students need to be encouraged to select alternate learning activities at a higher level or a faster pace. The gifted student needs to be challenged with activities requiring higher level thinking skills and sustained persistence. They need to develop the skills and knowledge to proceed independently in special learning activities. Most important, the gifted student needs the opportunity to work with and interact with other gifted students. RISE is designed to help meet these needs.

[pic]Cognitive Needs

The gifted individual needs:

• Freedom from the restrictions of structured requirements and limited time frames.

• Time and freedom to experiment, to explore subjects of interest.

• Open access to needed learning resources whatever and wherever they may be.

• Confrontation with problems and issues of society for which there are no single predetermined solutions.

• Opportunity to brainstorm ideas.

• Encouragement to ask questions, make discoveries, pursue own interest in=depth.

• Opportunities to work with other gifted/talented students at least part of the time.

• Wide variety of in-depth cultural experiences beyond the usual field trips to zoos, museums, or industries.

• Opportunities to help others.

• Active concern for the gifted among administrators, counselors, teachers.

[pic]Affective Needs

Gifted children need to:

• Acknowledge and understand their gifts and talents.

• Know that others may not be able to perform as well or as easily as they do- not to hold unrealistic expectations for others.

• Know about the uncommon personal characteristics associated with and quite often supportive of their gifts and talents.

• Accept and prize their differences.

• See them as others see them- to be aware of negative sanctions that may be placed upon them.

• Develop a strong self-image- to believe in them.

• Develop problem-solving skills that will enable them to deal with social problems, cope with complexities, and influence change.

• Experience a sense of community- to contribute to group cohesiveness.

• Explore ways in which they may work, play, and live with others.

• Learn methods and techniques that will assist them in making their ideas, products, and selves accepted and valued by others.

• Be humane persons, able to share, care and support others.

• Participate in planned programs of psychological education.

[pic]Educational Needs

The gifted student needs:

• A flexible academic program that involves higher cognitive concepts and processes, such as those defined by Bloom.

• Active learning with the application of skills instead of the repetition of information from teacher or textbook exposition.

• Divergent thinking activities that encourage the discovery of alternative solutions to a problem or social issue.

• Intellectual flexibility and training in using analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as a regular part of learning.

• Decision-making and problem solving tasks for individuals or for groups as they explore ideas.

Lafayette Co. C-1 Beliefs About Gifted Children

Philosophy

The Board of Education of Lafayette Co. C-1 Schools recognizes in its philosophy of education the need for every learner to be provided with opportunities appropriate to the unique needs and abilities of each individual. Lafayette Co. C-1 builds upon this foundation by providing gifted, talented and creative students with appropriate and differentiated education from kindergarten through grade 12.

Gifted and talented students are a population with special needs. They differ significantly from their chronological peers in abilities, talents, interests and/or psychological maturity. These students must be identified, encouraged, and challenged in order to develop their ability to the fullest potential.

The District's philosophy of service to gifted and talented students advocates the best possible education for all students according to their individual abilities, interests, and needs.  This philosophy is reflected in the following statements:

 

• Every student possesses a unique set of interests, goals, abilities, and liabilities, and has a right to the optimum development of his/her potential.

• Gifted students exhibit outstanding potential compared to age-mates.

•  "The gifted" represent a diverse group of students including culturally different, lower socioeconomic status, and special needs students.

•  Services for gifted students are student-oriented rather than program-oriented.

•  Gifted students benefit from interaction with students of similar abilities/talents as well as with those whose abilities/talents are dissimilar.

•  Services for gifted students are woven into the fabric of the student's total school program.

•  Gifted education is a combination of gifted and other advanced learning approaches based upon a student's strengths and interests.

•  Balanced gifted programming aligns with student needs and includes student determination, academic development and talent development, positive attitudes and climate for maximum learning, and differentiated instruction.

•  Components of gifted programming are: Differentiated Instruction, Affective Leadership Skills, and Advanced Investigations or Enrichment.

•  Gifted education is instruction and accountability commensurate with a student's ability to learn.

District Goal

The goal of the District is to take into full account the learning characteristics of gifted students and to provide a range of learning opportunities commensurate with their abilities.

Student Selection

Screening:

K-1st: Kindergarten teachers and the gifted education teacher will observe kindergarten classes throughout the first semester. They may use the Kingore Observation Inventory (KOI) as a tool to search for gifted children. They will suggest children that should be monitored until the end of first grade. The Gifted Education teacher will facilitate communication to the first grade teachers about possible candidates. In the spring of first grade, the first grade teacher will then have the option of referring the children for further testing.

2nd-7th grade: The classroom teachers, gifted education teacher, and administration will regularly survey achievement test scores to identify possible candidates for the RISE program. Children who have 3 or more scores on the Stanford 9 achievement test at or above the 95th percentile will be referred for further testing. Teachers or parents may also refer children. The parents will fill out a Williams Checklist about the child, and the child’s classroom teacher will fill out a GATES inventory about the child.

Testing:

Children with an age appropriate score on the Williams Test of Divergent Thinking, or with Stanford 9 scores of at least 95th percentile in 4 areas will be administered an appropriate IQ test as outlined in the Lafayette Co. C-1 state approved grant. Parental permission will be obtained before either test is administered.

Entrance:

Children are ranked according to IQ scores. Openings for the program are filled as available from the top candidates down. There may be a waiting list since we can only serve 5% of our 2nd–12th grade student population.

Parents of all children who were tested will receive letters about their child’s scores and qualifications and acceptance to the RISE program. Accepted children must have signed permission from their parents to enter the program the following school year.

Previously identified gifted students new to the district:

From Missouri: The student will be served immediately if they qualify under Lafayette County C-1 standards, even if this raises the number of students above the 5% cutoff point. These students will not count for state funding the year they arrive in our district.

From another state: Because Missouri does not mandate gifted education, we cannot automatically enter a new out-of-state student in the RISE program, even if they were previously served in a gifted program. The student will need an initial referral and must follow the entire process for entrance into the RISE program.

Suggested Timeline:

Awareness Phase: January

1. Short in-service at faculty meeting to brief teachers about characteristics and hand out KOI Observation forms.

2. Review all Stanford scores. Automatic referral of those students with at least three subtests above the 95th percentile on Stanford.

Referral Phase: February

3. Teachers or parents nominate students to be tested.

4. Check records to determine student eligibility for testing.

5. Send Permission to Test packet to parents.

6. Send referral checklist to referring and classroom teacher.

7. Receive signed “Permission to test” form and completed Williams Checklist from parents.

Testing Phase: March-April

8. Receive checklist from teachers.

9. Score checklists and evaluate further testing according to scores.

10. Further testing requires age appropriate scores on the parent OR teacher checklist.

11. Give creativity test.

12. Score creativity test according to age.

13. Review scores so far. If student has appropriate scores on creativity test OR 4 Stanford subtests above the 95th percentile, schedule IQ testing.

14. Send letter to parents to advise of progress.

15. Assessor administers individual IQ test. Student must score at or above the 95th percentile on the I.Q. test to be put on a list of candidates who qualify for the program.

16. Send letter to parents to advise of progress.

Entrance Phase:

17. Rank all qualifying students.

18. Fill openings from the students who come off the top of the list. Put others (more than the 5% allowable by the state) on waiting list.

19. Send letter to parents to advise of eligibility. Conference with parents about program if parents desire.

20. Obtain permission to admit student to RISE program.

21. Complete permanent record form on each student. One copy to teacher, one to parents, one to RISE teacher and one for permanent school record.

Grades 9-12:

Recognizing the need for specialized educational programs for gifted students, the high school gifted program provides a different focus. High school students are given the opportunity to enroll in dual credit classes, honors classes and college level coursework. The principal, counselor, and instructor of the gifted will meet with the high school students on a quarterly basis to monitor the students’ academic and social progress. The gifted instructor will also be available on an appointment basis to meet at the high school with identified gifted high school students.

Curriculum

Rationale:

Gifted Children have unique learning needs. These include the need to:

• Acknowledge and understand their gifts and talents.

• Develop problem-solving skills that will enable them to cope with complexities and influence change.

• Learn methods and techniques that will assist them in developing their ideas and products.

Differentiation:

The RISE program provides instruction in content areas that are not normally covered in the regular classroom curriculum. If the area is covered briefly in the regular classroom, the RISE students may pursue deeper and longer study of that subject. The curriculum content planned by the RISE teacher is unique and is based on the interests of the RISE students.

Unique appropriateness for gifted children:

The curriculum and instruction in the RISE program is expressly designed for gifted learners. There is active learning with the application of skills instead of the repetition of information from teacher or textbook exposition. Students use divergent thinking activities that encourage the discovery of alternative solutions to a problem. Students receive training in using analysis, synthesis, and evaluation as a regular part of learning. Intellectual flexibility is nurtured. Groups and individuals explore ideas through decision-making and problem-solving tasks.

The RISE curriculum is planned and sequentially organized to include specific expectations for the acquisition of subject matter, mastery of skills, creation of products, and development of attitudes and appreciations related to self, others, and the environment.

The RISE curriculum places emphasis on the interdependence of subject matter, skills, products, and self-understanding within the same curricular structure. Cognitive and affective skills are not separated.

The RISE curriculum allows for expression of some of the student’s interests, needs, abilities, and learning preferences. It is not however without defined expectations and clearly expressed opportunities for teacher-directed as well as student-selected learning activities.

The RISE curriculum provides learning experiences for students to address the unresolved issues and problems of society and apply personal and social data to analyze, classify, and respond to such issues and problems. It does not focus only on knowledge of the world as it is, but as it could ideally be.

The curriculum incorporates both fundamental and higher level thinking skills as integral parts of every learning experience. It does not ignore the development of basic skills or exonerate gifted students from learning those. It does foster development of complex thought processes to encourage the creation of unique products, and develop strategies of productive thought.

The Rise curriculum provides opportunities for students to practice leadership and fellowship skills and appropriate and varied forms of communication skills and strategies.

Program Evaluation

Student Survey

At the end of each school year, the students who were in the program will be asked to fill out an evaluation of the RISE program for that year. The surveys will be tallied and the results will be reported to building administrators. Appropriate adjustments will be made to the program to meet the desires and needs of the students.

Parent Survey

At the end of each school year, the parents whose children were in the program will be asked to fill out an evaluation of the RISE program for that year. The surveys will be tallied and the results will be reported to building administrators. Appropriate adjustments will be made to the program to meet the desires and needs of the parents and their children.

Staff Survey

At the end of each school year, the staff will be asked to fill out an evaluation of the RISE program for that year. The surveys will be tallied and the results will be reported to building administrators. Appropriate adjustments will be made to the program to meet the desires and needs of the school staff.

Copies of the current surveys may be found in Appendix A.

Continuing in RISE program

A student who has met eligibility criteria and been place in the gifted program may continue to receive gifted programming services as long as he/she meets the following continuation criteria:

Criteria for Continuation in RISE program:

Elementary Grade 2

A semester grade average of Satisfactory or above in each academic class in the regular school program.

No more than 2 unexcused absences per quarter from the RISE program. An absence is unexcused when the student is present at the regular classroom and does not attend the scheduled gifted classes (does not include a special event or function).

Maintains appropriate behavior by complying with the Grandview School handbook and complying with RISE classroom rules.

Elementary Grades 3-5

A semester grade average of C- or above in each class in the regular school program.

No more than 2 unexcused absences per quarter from the RISE program. An absence is unexcused when the student is present at the regular classroom and does not attend the scheduled gifted classes (does not include a special event or function).

Maintains appropriate behavior by complying with the Grandview School handbook and complying with RISE classroom rules.

Middle School Grades 6-8

A semester grade average of C- or above in each class in the Middle School program.

Maintains appropriate behavior by complying with the Middle School handbook and complying with RISE classroom rules.

Probation

A student failing to meet the above criteria will be place on probation for one semester. Parents and the student will meet with the RISE teacher and the building administrator as well as the teachers involved. Parents will receive written notice of the probation.

During probation, the student will participate in all RISE activities. The parents and the RISE teacher will review the student’s progress quarterly. This review may be attended by the building administrator and involved teachers. The student will meet with the building counselor to review grades. A student who voluntarily withdraws from the RISE program while on probation will be placed back on probation upon re-entering the program.

Withdrawal

A student will be withdrawn from the RISE program if, at the end of the probationary semester, the student continues to fail to meet the above criteria for continuation. Parents and all involved teachers will be advised of this withdrawal.

Parents wishing to withdraw a student from the RISE program voluntarily may do so after informing the school administrator and the RISE teacher in writing of their intention to withdraw the student.

Re-entry after withdrawal for any reason

Re-entry during the current school year is available without re-testing if the student withdrew voluntarily, meets continuation criteria, AND the RISE program has an available space.

Re-entry during subsequent school years is available if the student repeats the placement process and qualifies for placement.

Suggested Resources for Parents

Parenting gifted children can be both an enormous joy and challenge.  We hope the following resources will support and encourage parents in their efforts.

Adderholdt-Elliott, M. Perfectionism: What's Bad about Being Too Good? Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1987.

Alvino, J., and the editors of Gifted Children Monthly.  Parents' Guide to Raising a Gifted Child.  Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1985.

Anderson, Jill.  Thinking, Changing, Rearranging. 1981

Arent, Ruth P. Stress and Your Child: A Parents' Guide to Symptoms, Strategies, and Benefits. 1984.

Berger, C. College Planning for Gifted Students.  Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children, 1989.

Buescher, T.M., ed.  Understanding Gifted and Talented Adolescents: A Resource Guide for Counselors, Educators, and Parents.  Evanston, IL: The Center for Talent Development, N.W. Univ. 1987.

Campbell, James Reed.  Raising Your Child to be Gifted. 1995.

Clark, Barbara.  Growing Up Gifted (3rd edition) Columbus, OH: Merrill, 1988.

Colangelo, Nicolas, and Gary A. Davis, Handbook of Gifted Education.  Boston, MA:  Allyn and Bacon, 1991

Cole, Robert W., ed.  Educating Everyone's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners: What Research and Practice Say About Improving Achievement.  Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1995.

Cox, J., N. Daniel, and B.O. Boston. Educating Able Learners.  Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1985.

Daniel, N., and J. Cox.  Flexible Pacing for Able Learners.  Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children, 1988.

Davis, G.A., and S. B. Rimm.  Education of the Gifted and Talented (3rd edition).  Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.

Delisle, J. Gifted Kids Speak Out.  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1987.

Delisle, J., and J. Galbraith.  The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide II (Ages 11 - 18).  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1987.

Featherstone, Bonnie D., and Jill M. Reilly. College Comes Sooner than You Think - The Essential Planning Guide for High School Students and Their Families.  Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Press, 1990.

Feldhusen, J., J. Van Tassel-Baska, and K. Seeley.  Excellence in Educating the Gifted. Denver, CO: Love Publishing, 1989.

Galbraith, J. The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide (Ages 10 and under).  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1984.

Gardner, Howard Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (rev. ed).  New York, NY: Basic Books, 1985.

Goertzel, Victor and Mildred.  Cradles of Eminence.  Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1962.

Gonzales, Julie, ed.  The Colorado Handbook for Parents of Gifted Children.  Denver, CO: The Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented, 1989.

Halstead, J.W. Guiding Gifted Readers- From Pre-school to High School.  Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Publishing, 1988.

Handbook of Gifted Education.  Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1991.

Karnes, Frances, and Suzanne Bean.  Girls and Young Women Leading the Way - 20 True Stories about Leadership.  Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit, 1993.

Kaufmann, F. Your Gifted Child and You.  Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children, 1981.

Kerr, Barbara.  Smart Girls Two.  Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Publishing, 1994.

Kerr, Barbara.  Smart Girls, Gifted Women.  Columbus, OH: Ohio Psychology Publishing, 1986.

Knopper, Dorothy.  Parent Education: Parents as Partners.  Boulder, CO: Open Space Communications, Inc., 1993.

National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent.  Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, October, 1993.

On Being Gifted.  Written by Students (Ages 15- 18). New York, NY: Walker & Co., 1978.

Reaching their Highest Potential.  Littleton Public Schools Handbook for Parents. 1996

Rimm, Sylvia.  How to Parent So Children Will Listen.  Watertown, WI: Apple Publishing, 1990.

Rimm, Sylvia.  The Underachievement Syndrome: Causes and Cures.  Watertown, WI: Apple Publishing, 1986.

State Guidelines for Gifted and Talented Student Education.  The Colorado Edition, March, 1995.

Vail, Priscilla.  Gifted, Precocious, or Just Plain Smart. 1987.

Vail, Priscilla.  Smart Kids with School Problems.  New York, NY: E.P. Dutton, 1987.

Van Tassel-Baska, J., and P. Olszewski-Kubilius, eds.  Pattern of Influence on Gifted Learners: the Home, the Self, and the School. New York: Teachers College Press, 1989.

Webb, James T., and Elizabeth Meckstroth, and Stephanie S. Tolan.  Guiding the Gifted Child. 1982.

Information used with permission of

How Can I Support the Emotional Needs of My Child?

All children need to be loved, nurtured, kept safe, shown attention and affection, and taught how to live with other people. Gifted and talented children are no exception. As parents, it is our privilege and responsibility to do our best to provide these things for our children.

Being the parent of a gifted child is a special job, because these children are "special." This is not to say that they are better or worse than any other child, but rather that they present unique challenges as well as opportunities for themselves and to us as parents. Although there is a tendency to see only this child's special attributes, we as parents have the responsibility to always see our child as a child first and second as gifted and talented.

The following are thoughtful suggestions and guidelines for parenting the gifted and talented child:

Expectations

• Help the child distinguish between needs and wants.

• Spend time observing and interacting with your child. Personal observation is the foundation for establishing realistic expectations.

• Remember that your child will not be gifted or talented at everything. Most gifted children really excel in only a few areas.

• Allow for personal differences between you and your child.

• Encourage your child to develop and share with you his/her self-expectations.

• Accept that your child will not perform at a consistently high level all the time.

• Allow the child time to "just do nothing.”

• Allow the home to be a safe haven to express emotions.

Modeling

Remember that...

• The best method of teaching is through modeling.

• No other person(s) will be as influential with our children, for better or for worse, than we as parents will.

• Parents have the opportunity and responsibility to model for their children, which is to model how a healthy, whole person deals with stresses and joys in today's world.

(Note: given the gifted child's ability to see through flawed reasoning, it is unwise to attempt to raise this child by the "do as I say, not as I do" rule.)

You are your child's model for: Use of personal resources, including time, energy, and money; time for thinking, daydreaming, doing nothing  (avoid over-scheduling).

• Decision-making skills including taking responsibility for the decisions that are made.

• Stress management techniques, including problem solving, talking about problems with others, recreation, and use of humor.

• Communication skills, not only with family but also with members of the community, including how to respond to those in positions of authority and how to listen to others.

• Tolerance of differences in others and acceptance of our own failures and shortcomings.

• Acceptance and expression of feelings, including anger and affection.

Discipline

Every child needs to be taught discipline: to know and understand, given the family, community, and society in which we live, that which is acceptable and desirable from that which is not. The goal of disciplining a child is to have him/her become self-disciplined. Discipline is not synonymous with punishment, but rewards and punishments are two methods of teaching or reinforcing discipline. When teaching discipline, remember:

• Keep limits/rules to a necessary minimum.

• Make limits/rules clear and concise. Make sure your child understands what you expect of him/her.

• Set consequences for following and not following rules/limits. Utilize "natural" consequences whenever possible.

• Make rewards and punishments appropriate and reasonable.

• Follow through!!

• Be consistent!!

• Avoid nagging, sarcasm, ridicule, or belittling.

• Avoid power struggles.

• Give your child genuine choices.

• Allow your child to help set limits and consequences (contracting).

• Don't get into arguments with your child. His/her verbal skills may get you into uncomfortable and untenable situations.

• Respond to your child's unspoken needs and concerns in addition to addressing his/her negative behaviors.

• Try to determine the cause for inappropriate behavior.

• When we as parents make mistakes, it is important to acknowledge them to ourselves and to our child.

• Remember that you are the parent. You have more life experiences and, although possibly not "smarter," you possess greater wisdom than your child.

Peer and Sibling Relationships

It is very common for gifted and talented children to feel isolated and "weird" or different from most of their peers and even siblings. It is important for parents to understand and then communicate to the gifted child that this difference is OK. It is also important to communicate to the child that each of us has special gifts and talents, and that these should be accepted and appreciated in each of us.

Although the gifted child may possess certain traits or areas of interest, which tend to set him/her apart from his/her peers/siblings, it is essential that parents keep in mind that however gifted/talented, the child still must live in this society and relate to others. To promote a sense of elitism or superiority will only increase the child's sense of isolation and being an outsider.

 To improve your child's peer/sibling relationships:

• Support his/her sensitivity, but teach appropriate forms of expressing himself/herself.

• Support your child in asserting himself/herself, but teach the art of sharing, including sharing leadership and responsibility.

• Unless someone's safety is at risk, refuse to become involved in children's arguments and quarrels. Allow them to solve the problems themselves.

• Support the gifts in each child, G/T or not. Help each child recognize and appreciate the other's gifts.

• Do not compare children.

• Spend quality time with each of your children individually.

• One of best methods to address many peer relationship needs/concerns is to have them involved with a group of intellectually similar peers on a regular basis. This establishes relationships in which they are not "special" but rather a true peer.

• Gifted children may have many different sets of "peers" depending on what activity they are engaged in.

• Gifted children's desire to fit into a group and be like the others may lead to hiding their giftedness and talents.

• Many gifted children experience difficulty with the label "gifted" because it sets them apart from their friends.

• Provide a safe place, a haven, for your child where he/she can feel free to be himself/herself, to express negative emotions and insecurities, without being lectured or made to feel guilty or incompetent.

• Praise the gifted child for his/her non-intellectual attributes.

• Try to reduce the competitiveness that interferes with cooperation.

Perfectionism

Although it is important to teach our children that setting high goals and having high ideals and expectations is an admirable quality, it is also important to teach them that, by definition, perfection is not a realistic or attainable goal. If perfection is their goal, they will either experience constant failure in the tasks they attempt, or never begin them out of a fear of failing. Rather we must help our children prioritize and realize that we all have limited resources. Having once set their priorities, we can further help them by encouraging them to take the risk of doing something at which they might not succeed.

Dr. Linda Silverman suggests that parents can help the child with perfectionism by:

 

• Acknowledging and accepting his/her sense of frustration.

• Sharing with him/her some of our own failures or shortcomings and how we learned to deal with them.

• Supporting him/her when the child takes risks and does not succeed.

• Helping him/her understand that ideals and high standards are good, even if we can't always attain them.

• Encouraging him/her not to give up; that it takes time and effort to achieve high standards.

• Asking the child if he/she is willing to accept help from you, to help him simplify the task to achieve success.

• Teaching relaxation techniques.

• Giving specific rather than broad praise.

• Teaching your child that there are no mistakes, but only learning experiences.

• Teaching your child when to settle for less than perfect.

• Remembering some "don'ts":

• Don't try to eradicate perfectionism.

• Don't tell your child he should not feel the way he does.

• Don't be too critical of his/her efforts; praise the efforts and risk taking behaviors.

• Don't attempt to destroy the child's ideals.

• Don't make the child believe that perfectionism is a bad quality.

The Introverted Child

An introvert is a private person who needs time and space to be alone. He/she becomes exhausted by too much contact with a group of people. The introvert is extremely sensitive and gets his/her feelings hurt easily. He/she is uncomfortable when attention is focused on him. He/she does not like to take risks in public for fear of appearing less than perfect.

Some thoughts on what a parent can do to help the introverted child:

• Allow your introvert to learn in private and show the world the finished product.

• Give your introvert a private place and the time to think and reflect.

• Allow the child to observe activities before trying them.

• Don't force the child into large group situations. Introverts may prefer just one friend at a time.

• Correct the child in private and ask the child's teacher to do the same.

[pic]A Glossary of Common Educational Terms

Ability grouping - the flexible regrouping of students based on individual instructional needs.

Acceleration - moving at a faster pace through academic content.

Affective needs - the social and emotional considerations of an individual.

Articulation - the process of moving students between grades and learning levels.

Cluster grouping - the intentional placement of a group of similar-ability students in an otherwise heterogeneous (mixed-ability) classroom for a particular learning activity.

Cognitive needs - the intellectual needs of an individual.

Cooperative learning - an instructional strategy in which small, usually heterogeneous groups of students work collaboratively to learn.

Cross-grade/multi-age grouping - grouping strategy that mixes children of different ages for instruction.  Other variations include family or teacher grouping.

Curriculum compaction - an instructional strategy in which a student's grasp of a subject area is frequently reassessed by the instructor, and following demonstration of mastery of the subject, the student is allowed to progress to the next level or is given more in-depth work in the same subject area.

Differentiation - the modification of programming and instruction based on a student's academic need and intellectual ability.

Enrichment - the enhancement of the curricular program with additional opportunities and avenues of learning.

Heterogeneous/homogeneous groupings - those in which students are taught in groups of mixed or similar ability, respectively.

Independent study - students demonstrating content mastery and having a special interest may contract with a teacher for an independent study project.  Together they plan a method of investigating the problem or topic and agree on a product.

Learning contracts - an agreement between the teacher and student granting certain freedoms and choices about how a student will complete tasks, and the student agrees to use the freedoms appropriately in designing and completing work according to specifications.

Learning plans - an individualized educational program (IEP) set on paper that may include such options as acceleration, differentiated instruction, enrichment activities, and affective counseling and guidance.

Mentorship - a cooperative arrangement between a student and a professional adult for sharing common interests in a particular skill, knowledge or career orientation.

Modifications - gifted students with special education needs would have their IEP's written with potential modifications for the standards in the area of disability.

Out-of-level testing - testing typically given to a particular grade or age of student and used to assess abilities of younger students at a higher level than their developmental peers.

Pullout programs - classes and activities held during the school day but outside the regular classroom.

Tiered assignments - assignments are designed for different abilities and learning styles.

Tracking - a rigid, inflexible system in which students are selected for semi-permanent grouping based on ability.  In the past, students with high ability in one subject might have been selected for the high track in all subjects.

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